Scouts share concerns about Yankees' Anthony Volpe

New York Yankees fans aren't the only members of the MLB community worried about rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe. 

"He’s going away from what made him special — getting on base, battling, tough at-bats," one scout who has followed Volpe "for years" told Jon Heyman of the New York Post about the 22-year-old. "Now it’s three strikes and sit down. That’s not his game. Someone told him not to worry about strikeouts. He swings out of his [behind] every pitch, even with two strikes." 

The scout indicated that the Yankees should demote Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. General manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that dropping Volpe to the minors is not something "we’re pursuing at all" right now. 

Volpe began Wednesday slashing a woeful .191/.265/.350 with nine home runs and 27 RBI on the season. He started the day with 84 strikeouts, tied for the 12th-most among all players. 

"This is not the type of player Anthony Volpe should be," the scout continued. "He shouldn’t be among the league leaders in strikeouts." 

Of the scouts who spoke with Heyman, one who "loved" Volpe as a younger prospect compared him to Dustin Pedroia. As Marc Normandin once noted for Baseball Prospectus, Pedroia ultimately overcame a slow start in the big leagues en route to earning American League Most Valuable Player honors. 

"He’s going to have to go down to Triple-A," that scout added about Volpe. "He’s going to have to relearn how to hit the ball up and relearn how to hit the ball away. His hips are opening early and he’s swinging uphill. The only pitch he can hit are pitches that are down and in." 

The 40-33 Yankees went into Wednesday's MLB action trailing the first-place Tampa Bay Rays by 9.5 games in the AL East standings and needing some pop on offense with slugger Aaron Judge sidelined due to a toe issue. Unless Volpe flips a figurative switch before July, the Yankees may soon need to embrace difficult conversations regarding what's best for his development and for the 2023 edition of the team.